The Marquis of Rodian and The Iron Wall Lady

No matter what, indulging so recklessly at the break of dawn was not a good idea. Funny enough, that thought didn’t occur to her when she was in the midst of it, but it only came to her after everything was over and people started moving around within the castle with the light of day. Anyway, struggling with it once the night before and then doing it again as soon as she woke up was really not a good idea.

“Ugh.”

Edith sighed and held her back with a gasp. Surprised by the excessive movement, the muscles complained of pain even by sighing. The maid who combed her hair talked to her in a worried voice.

“Lady Argyle, wouldn’t it be better to just rest?”

“It’s all right, Anne.”

“But the marquis also told the lady to rest…”

“If he says something, I’ll tell him, so don’t worry.”

Of course, the desire to rest was strong, but thinking about the enormous amount of guests beneath the roof of the castle made her feel like she had thorns on her back. Moreover, there were things she had to do. Even if she tried to lie down, she knew she would quickly get up, feeling uncomfortable. Edith gazed at her reflection in the mirror. While she rarely looked at her own face and thought like this, now she found it acceptable to.

Her meticulously groomed hair, cheeks slightly touched with a blush of an unknown brand, and well-spread rose petal-colored lips looked presentable. She took a deep breath, as if trying to calm her tumultuous heart. It was an effort to shake off the burden, but in the eyes of others, it appeared as a sigh laden with worries.

“Are you worried, my lady?”

“Worried? Why would I be?”

“Well, you see, the marquis is going to meet with a lady from the capital again today.”

Edith, who was puzzled by Anne’s question, smiled. It might be true that Alpheus had reservations about it, but she couldn’t call today’s schedule a “meeting.”

It was a meeting with Catherine Derrick, to be more precise. So the wording didn’t fit at all. Last night was so intense that she almost forgot, but before sending Alpheus away, Edith remembered Catherine’s request and conveyed it to him.

Alpheus clicked his tongue, but agreed to talk. It was because he thought it was too much to throw away a person who earnestly asked for it, even giving away the secret of his birth, an extremely private and fatal weakness. So, it was not him but her who approached him.

「Isn’t it strange to have a charitable mindset for something like this?」

「Well, it’s kind of an investment to do this in good faith.」

「Right now I just want to kick everyone out.」

「No!」

「They weren’t meant to be here in the first place.」

「They should be a person you could refuse first, and anyway, please listen to the story.」

While gently adjusting the collar of Alpheus’s clothing that had slipped, Edith urged him to listen. In the past, she might have pointed with her finger and left it to him, but this time, her hand moved. He didn’t push her away and just stood still, watching as she tidied up his clothes. Eventually, he nodded. There was no reason for jealousy or anxiety because that was the situation.

If it had been before they confirmed each other’s mutual feelings, they might not have known each other’s hidden thoughts, let alone now. Edith responded softly to the cautious maid, Anne.

“It’s all right, I don’t care.”

“Of course, besides, he only has Lady Edith in your heart!”

Yes? It wasn’t wrong, but her face was burning with embarrassment. Edith opened her eyes wide. She was still feeling a bit flustered by the situation, but the third party seemed confident in her belief. It felt strange and odd.

“Is that so?”

“Yes!”

“I’m not sure, really. I didn’t know.”

“Oh my, Lady, you’re quite something.”

Even though they were on good terms and didn’t show any signs of being distant, Edith blurted out her true feelings without thinking. She was surprised at her own mistake and bit her lip. However, Anne’s reaction was different; she smiled broadly, clapping her hands together with a hint of mischievousness.

“We all knew, you know? The butler, the maids, especially the people in the servants’ quarters, they all talk.”

The person involved, however, was completely clueless about the conversations. Edith’s eyes widened in surprise.

~~~~

Edith summoned the marquis’s vassals while Alpheus was alone with Catherine Derrick.

Calling it a summons is a bit of an understatement, but since she is nominally the fiancée of the marquis, it could be said that way. Although the reason why the close vassals gathered in their respective offices without delay was because she was a member of them. Edith did not come forward first and announce a change in relationship with Alpheus.

Anyway, it was not an easy story to recite with your own mouth. She only foretold that the marquis had something to discuss with them and that it would be after a meeting with Lady Derrick.

However, those who had lived longer than her as vassals of the marquisate soon caught on to the point. Edith knew they were trying to elicit a response from her, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie to hide the momentary discomfort. After all, she had developed genuine affection for them during her time there.

“No, well… The engagement was fake, but…”

“But now it’s not?”

“…”

“Can we really toast now?”

“That, I don’t know yet. It’s not like that.”

“Anyway, His Excellency’s unrequited love has paid off!”

Indeed, everyone except Edith Argyle, who was involved, must have known, and none of the top officials were surprised. She glanced sideways at the blank wall and cleared her throat.

Still, they were polite, so they ignored Edith’s face blushing at the direct admiration of the knight commander. Except for one person.

“Tsk tsk.”

Baron Uther, the marquisate’s chief magistrate and Silverglen’s second most outspoken figure clicked his tongue. The sound he made was meant for others to hear, so it was rough and raucous.

But no one sitting around pointed out his rudeness. He was skilled at choosing the right words to upset others, and engaging in a verbal battle with him was like facing a formidable opponent, where one had to consider the possibility of severe wounds. The only exception might be the presence of the top provocateur, Marquis Rodian, himself.

“Anyway, you’re smart, Edith Argyle.”

For that reason, she couldn’t protest even if she was criticized in front of her face. Edith frowned. Still, as the “black sheep,” she was different from others, so she muttered a complaint quietly. After spending several years together, she felt emotionally closer to Baron Uther than to her own brother, Viscount Argyle.

“You acted like you didn’t know anything but you’re showing off.”

“What do you mean? My feelings, or his feelings? Either way, I would have been criticized for being insane.”

“When the fake engagement story came up, you were just standing there watching!”

“I acted like a fake pretending to be real, so how could you have possibly guessed I was really clueless?”

“Well, you sure are full of yourself.”

“Did you just find out?”

It was a joke in the context, but it was quite serious. Edith, raising her head with a ridiculous expression, found Uther’s eyes smiling. He looked quite amused. Was it something worth celebrating? She cocked her head in curiosity.

“What is it?”

“Well, thanks to you, I made quite a profit, Edith.”

“What profit? Don’t tell me…”

As Edith glared at Uther, she felt an itch on the back of her head. Sensing suspicion rising within her, she slowly turned her head.

The other onlookers, including the knights and officials, were taken aback by the confrontation between the two. They started behaving oddly, rolling their eyes or fanning themselves, trying to hide their amusement.

“You guys.”

Edith sharpened her eyes and gritted her teeth, staring at the audience.

“You bet on me?”

“To be exact, it was not about you, but about your relationship with His Excellency.”

“That’s it!”

Edith growled, making eye contact with each and every one of them, frowning heavily. They were really more like brothers than her own brother.

Of course, the term ‘brother-like’ implies a deep bond and trust, but it also carried the meaning of acting foolishly when forgotten.

That’s why she thought there were no proper men around her. Externally, they were dignified members of the marquis’s entourage, earning respect from their lord and gaining positions they never had before. But look at this now. All they did when they gathered together was behave at such a level. How could she not find it pathetic?

“I mean, I’m shocked.”

But she wasn’t really angry. Since one side was their lord and the other side was a close colleague like a sibling, the observers must have had their own troubles.

They would tease her about the bet they made and continue to playfully bother her for a while. The men quickly caught on to her mood and responded in their own ways—some with a smirk, some scratching their heads, but each of them saying a word to comfort her.

“It’s a relief, though.”

“Sir Dart is right. I was worried.”

“Yeah, there should be a limit even without understanding the situation.”

“That was truly surprising!”

“I told you so.”

“These guys.”

The initial teasing shifted to mocking as time went on, but the continuous jesting didn’t last for long.

“Why is there so much commotion?”

Unexpectedly, Alpheus appeared as the door opened. He was not someone they could mock like they did with Edith, so all the vassals stopped their banter and stood up. Edith was also included among them.

“Your Excellency.”

“Take a seat.”

Alpheus went to the empty up-top seat without unnecessary words. At first glance, he seemed to frown at Edith’s seat.

Her position was furthest from him, as she sat according to her seniority. But he remained silent for a moment as if to swallow what he wanted to say, and then immediately got to the point.

In fact, he always did that, so no one wondered. Edith was rather in a very comfortable mood. Since the visit of Viola Galloway was announced, all kinds of incidents have continued, and this atmosphere was unique to the Marquis of Rodian. A table at which reasonable, prompt, and unscrupulous remarks were tolerated.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard about it. Catherine Derrick has offered me a deal.”

Of course, it was possible because the master, the Marquis of Rodian, allowed it.

His openness, which was not like any other long-established noble family that existed since the early days of the kingdom, and his personality that almost obsessively valued practicality rather than vanity, was new.

In the first place, Edith was able to serve as a formal official thanks to him. It wasn’t that she didn’t know, but she didn’t know why she was so moved now.

She was sentimental, slightly withdrawing from Alpheus, who was about to bring up an agenda, and those who responded. But that couldn’t last too long. It was because the story that came out was so shocking.

“Yes, but, sir, is the lady really from the family?”

“I confirmed the evidence myself. Catherine Derrick is the daughter of the current Duke of Galloway. And although she is technically an out-of-wedlock child, she can claim the right to inherit.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the mother was Duke Galloway’s first fiancée.”

“Uh, then the present duchess…”

“He abandoned his first fiancée and chose the princess of the duchy to bring him a bigger dowry.”

Oh, good Lord. Edith was disgusted by the Duke of Galloway, whose face she didn’t even know. Others who were listening seemed to have the same idea. Among the frowned faces, Uther opened his mouth first.

“That’s low.”

“Well, it’s the family tradition to abandon your betrothed.”

“But in this case, the quality is lower because they even had a child.”

“Yeah. Besides, it wasn’t even a pure tryst.”

When the Duke of Galloway was unable to bear children from the Duchess, he sought out his ex-fiancée, who had been living a difficult and abandoned life.

She broke off her marriage with the highest noble in the kingdom, and at the same time her family’s business went bankrupt, and the woman was living a difficult life in her relative’s mansion.

Her lineage itself was so precious that she was chosen as the Duchess of Galloway, but she collapsed in an instant because there was no one to take care of her.

The woman, who had experienced unimaginable hardships since birth, had become so weak that she believed the Duke’s words that he would divorce her if she didn’t bear him a son.

“But in the end, she gave birth to a daughter and was abandoned, and she took her own life. Catherine Derrick grew up after her mother’s death, adopted by her maternal sixth cousin, Viscount Derrick. When she came of age, she learned who her biological father was from her adoptive parents.”

“What a tragic story.”

“After that, she went to the castle to find a chance to avenge the Duke of Galloway. It seems she managed to survive while maintaining her neutrality, quite skillful compared to other women. She willingly followed Her Majesty the Dowager Queen to Silverglen, unlike other women.”

Even though it conveyed only the facts as briefly as possible, admiration came out. Edith straightened her posture and sat down. She could not sympathize with the life of Catherine Derrick, but she couldn’t help being in awe of her.

“You mean that the reason she volunteered was to see Your Excellency.”

“Yes. She must have come out looking for someone who has as much hostility toward Galloway as herself.”

“She did find him properly, but what did the lady ask for?”

“She asked me to be her guardian.”

“Oh, as expected.”

Uther sighed. Edith also narrowed her eyebrows. It was risky to assume the guardianship of someone who you did not share a drop of blood with. First of all, all kinds of scandals would boil over how the relationship was established, and the legitimacy of the guardianship relationship would be attacked. Nevertheless, there was only one reason why Catherine Derrick dared to pick Alpheus Rodian.

“She clearly really doesn’t like her father. Seeing as she found the best way to exact revenge, regardless of whether she harms herself or not.”

“Using the word ‘hate’ doesn’t fully express it.”

Alpheus smiled fiercely, showing his teeth.

“And I feel the same way too.”

He has already decided to support Catherine Derrick. The long-held vassals noticed at once. Edith felt the same way, understanding that he had no other choice but also worrying about it at the same time. And her concern was evident on her face.

“Why such an expression, Edith?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

He looked at her with strange eyes, but changed his words.

“That’s enough. Go and take care of your work.”

“You’re trying to talk about work, but the story of Lady Derrick is not over yet.”

Then he made a very absurd remark.

“I need to discuss the matter with Dart, Uther, and Morrow. Berigan, you too.”

Edith opened her eyes wide. The names Alpheus pointed out one by one were all the top officials of the Marquis. Except for Edith Argyle, the chief treasurer.

“Wait, does that mean you want me to leave?”

“That’s right.”

She didn’t know, but the affirmative answer came back as if it were very natural. Leave? She was so dumbfounded that she couldn’t find anything to say right away. How could he ask her to leave at this point? Fortunately, the same was true for the others who made an expression as if it didn’t make sense. They raised an objection on her behalf while Edith was dumbfounded.

“Why is Lady Argyle going out?”

“Your Excellency, she deserves to be here with us.”

“The person who summoned us today is also Lady Argyle.”

But Alpheus did not repeat his words, only twitching his eyebrows.

“I decide who should be where.”

“But, Your Excellency.”

“Shut up, Murrow.”

Edith bit her lips. At first she was bewildered, but when that happened, she became angry and upset. He was trying to kick her out!

At this table on the top floor of the magistrate, which had been her seat for six years! It was an unimaginable situation, something she had never even considered, and his composed face demanding her departure made her despise it even more. There was a limit to which she could tolerate, even between two people sharing love and kisses. No, that was why it was even more unacceptable.

Did it mean that the previous relationship may be liquidated just because the nature of the relationship had changed? He shouldn’t have been like this. She looked straight at him. He looked calm as if he had no idea how much he had done wrong. As a vassal, there were many times when she was proud of that side of him, but not now.

“I have the right to participate in this.”

It was not pleasant at all to talk about qualifications. But she couldn’t just be kicked out.

“Why do I have to get out of here?”

“It doesn’t mean that you’re not qualified. It’s just that it’s not desirable for you to know what’s to come.”

“Do you think the two sentences you just said can be logically connected?”

“Of course I think so.”

It was an unreasonable imposition. It was even more amazing that he didn’t think that way at all. Besides, Alpheus Rodian was acting the same and really tried to compromise; soothing her.

“If you wait three days, you will know.”

“If it’s something I’ll find out then, why don’t you allow it now?”

“Because, as I have already said, you should not know in advance.”

“Ha.”

Edith snorted.

Alpheus frowned slightly, but he didn’t point out her inappropriate behavior. Of course not! If he treated her as his subordinate, it would be inappropriate to scold her while considering her as a woman who shouldn’t be involved in confidential matters.

If he had made a similar remark, she would have rebuked him regardless of whether he was a marquis or a lover. In fact, she was seething with anger, and not saying anything was frustrating. Edith glared at Alpheus.

“Why? Why shouldn’t I know?”

“Edith.”

“If you were determined to say that, you shouldn’t have invited me in the first place.”

“Well, I’m actually starting to think that should have been the case.”

His words choked her up.

“…Are you serious?”

“Of course.”

“Your Excellency means I should leave?”

“Yes, go.”

Though she tried to compose herself by using formal titles instead of names in front of others, her feelings must have been evident to everyone. It might have seemed ridiculous and pathetic to ask once again not to leave. Nevertheless, Edith asked again, wanting him to acknowledge her earnest desire to stay in that position. Because if she couldn’t stay, it meant all the time she had invested so far would be in vain.

“No matter how many times you check, my answer is the same.”

But Alpheus was firm. He truly intended to exclude her from attacking the Galloway Duchy. As he had said, no matter how many times she asked, the answer wouldn’t change.

“Alright then.”

Edith forced a smile and stood up. Pitying gazes followed her. She felt upset, and her expression must have been a mess. Still, she wanted to maintain at least a minimum level of dignity. Without meeting anyone’s eyes again, she left the place.

“Lady Argyle?”

When she opened the door, she saw Butler Saur waiting with a couple of servants. He didn’t seem to know what to be surprised by, Edith coming out first, alone, or opening the door herself and slamming it like a kick.

The eyes of the always-serious person shook mercilessly. In normal times, she would have made excuses or even said that it was no big deal, but Edith at this time didn’t have the time to do that. She only nodded her head and went downstairs.

With her high heels, she stepped on the carpet with such force that the surrounding people were so surprised that they looked up.